6 Amazing Benefits of Collagen

For millennia, our hunter-gatherer ancestors had to hunt for their meals and would consume their prey from “nose to tail”, not wanting to waste any food because they didn’t know when their next meal would come. Today, thankfully, we don’t have to worry about “hunting and gathering” for our next meal, but unfortunately, we’ve lost out on some of the major nutrition and health benefits.

What Is Collagen?

Collagen is the “glue” that helps hold the body together and is the most abundant protein in the body. Collagen keeps your skin firm and elastic, your joints strong and stable, and your digestive system healthy and working. However, as we age in years and use our bodies for movement, collagen levels in our bodies naturally decline.

1. Supports Healthy Gut

Digestive complaints are on the rise: gas, bloating, heartburn, constipation, and abdominal discomfort seem to be the norm these days. These are all signs that you’re likely suffering from dysbiosis, the medical term for the accumulation of too much bad bacteria in the gut.

This is problematic because it can lead to damage of the intestinal lining, which is a one-cell thick structure that resembles a cheese-cloth. When it is weakened, the intestine lining can allow foreign invaders like bacteria and viruses to flow into your bloodstream. This scenario is what the term leaky gut is referring to. People with leaky gut can also have silent, non-obvious symptoms too. In this case, you may struggle with fatigue, allergies, poor immunity (or an autoimmune condition), joint pain, or brain fog.

Collagen is loaded with the amino acid glutamine, which has been shown to be highly effective for preventing leaky gut and the subsequent chronic inflammation that can wreak havoc on the body.[1]

2. Improves Skin Quality

The loss of collagen as you age contributes to wrinkles and poor skin quality. While spending money on expensive creams can help your skin externally, your diet has the biggest influence on your skin health, which means skin beauty starts from the inside out.

Diets high in sugar and processed carbohydrates cause our bodies to produce advanced glycated end products (AGEs), which reduce the density of collagen fibrils, leading to wrinkles and aging skin quality. As well, chronic exposure to the sun can damage the collagen fibers in your skin.

Supplemental collagen has been shown to reduce the harmful UV-B induced skin damage in order to support superior skin quality.[2]

3. Fights Joint Pain

Chronic pain and arthritis are two of the most common reasons for patient visits to the doctor. The solutions often prescribed from those visits are ointments and drugs that help ease the pain, but do not address the root of the problem.

The building blocks of healthy joints come from your diet. These include key amino acids like proline, lysine, and glutamine, which support the natural production of collagen in the body.

Recent studies show improvement in pain and physical function after supplementation with hydrolyzed collagen (see Figure 1.0)[3]. Ensuring you eat enough quality protein or easily digestible supplemental collagen is fundamental to healthy joints in the long run.

4. Supports Weight Loss

Today, processed and convenient snack foods are all around us and are a major contributor to cravings for sugar, overeating, and weight gain. (Check out my recent article on the subject – How The Western Diet Triggers Weight Gain).

Collagen supports weight loss in a unique way. It’s not a thermogenic or stimulant, like most weight loss supplements, but rather it impacts your satiety levels by naturally inhibiting the main hormone in the gut that triggers hunger[4], stopping you from grabbing that mid-afternoon sugar-laden granola bar.

Adding collagen to your mid-morning coffee or mid-afternoon tea can be a great strategy to curb cravings and make it through to your next meal.

5. Improves Athletic Recovery

If you’re active, training intensely, or always on-the-go, then your joints are likely suffering from some wear and tear. The food you eat has the biggest impact on your joint health.

Unlike muscles, which can soak up nutrients for hours after activity, your joints suck up the surrounding water and nutrients within the hour after exercise, making the timing of your collagen intake crucial for supporting joints. Add a little vitamin C from lemon juice or a fruit snack to help increase absorption.

6. Supports Deep Sleep

In today’s 24/7 society, we’re constantly on the run and there never seems to be enough hours in the day. Unfortunately, our sleep seems to suffer the consequences of this. The average Canadian gets about 6.5 hours of sleep per night, a far cry from our grandparent’s generation who slept more than 8 hours per night.

While it is not a sedative, glycine helps set the foundation for quality sleep so you can keep your energy levels high, fight off colds and flu, and thrive at work and play.

Figure 2.0 – Impacts of Glycine on Sleep Quantity and Quality

How Can I Add More Collagen To My Diet?

The natural source of collagen is found in our diet. The connective tissue of animals is loaded with collagen, which has tremendous benefits for your health both externally, for skin and hair, and internally, for joints, digestion, and sleep.

You can obtain collagen in your diet by eating more of the tendons and ligaments on your steak or chicken leg, but this is not a very appealing strategy for most people (myself included!). Today most people don’t enjoy eating the connective tissue of chicken legs or beef bones like our ancestors did.

This is where the convenience of a high-quality collagen supplement like Organika’s Enhanced Collagen is ideal; it’s virtually tasteless and can be added to a variety of different foods and drinks.

For example, add a serving of collagen into your breakfast smoothie or mix it in with your yogurt. It can also be easily added to coffee or tea, used in all baking recipes, or simply added to water during the day or at bedtime.

Organika’s Enhanced Collagen is naturally sourced from grass-fed cows and is hydrolyzed into smaller peptides to maximize absorption. It’s also FREE of all hormones, antibiotics, GMOs (genetically modified organisms) and is 100% gluten-free.

Collagen is an ancestral food that humans have consumed for millennia; however, unfortunately, it’s no longer a regular part of our modern diet. That’s why supplemental collagen can be a great addition to your nutritional arsenal. It is a superfood that provides a plethora of health benefits; from improved skin and sleep to joint and digestive support. Incorporate more collagen into your diet and feel the difference for yourself.

What People Are Saying About the OG

Maria P. Surrey, BC

The things I love about this place make it worthwhile a trip.

1) the customer service. Everyone who works in this store is either very knowledgeable about your needs or will call someone to help. You will get very helpful advice.
2) The range of products. The herbal vitamin aisle in itself is daunting! But that's where the customer service comes in handy. I've recently gone gluten free, and like to bake/cook, so my options were very limited until I visited here. They have EVERYTHING to bake / cook with a restricted diet, (not just gluten free choices but everything!) They also have an amazing amount of choices for cleanses, and probiotics.
3) The veggies are also here with a fairly extensive choice of frozen gluten free options and organic meats.
In brief, there's everything you need here to begin or maintain a healthy lifestyle. Yes, indeed, some of the prices are a little high. I have to admit I do a mix of Costco choices, and things from there, as I'm on a limited budget.

I have to end with this : I know this sounds like a info-mercial, but this part is true!!!... lol ... Since I've shopped there in the last month I've lost 15 pounds, my skin is clearer, my rash is gone and I'm not depressed anymore. (This is all true, but mostly because of one of the cleanses that they suggested)

2014-07-11T17:13:25+00:00

The things I love about this place make it worthwhile a trip. 1) the customer service. Everyone who works in this store is either very knowledgeable about your needs or will call someone to help. You will get very helpful advice. 2) The range of products. The herbal vitamin aisle in itself is daunting! But that's where the customer service comes in handy. I've recently gone gluten free, and like to bake/cook, so my options were very limited until I visited here. They have EVERYTHING to bake / cook with a restricted diet, (not just gluten free choices but everything!) They also have an amazing amount of choices for cleanses, and probiotics. 3) The veggies are also here with a fairly extensive choice of frozen gluten free options and organic meats. In brief, there's everything you need here to begin or maintain a healthy lifestyle. Yes, indeed, some of the prices are a little high. I have to admit I do a mix of Costco choices, and things from there, as I'm on a limited budget. I have to end with this : I know this sounds like a info-mercial, but this part is true!!!... lol ... Since I've shopped there in the last month I've lost 15 pounds, my skin is clearer, my rash is gone and I'm not depressed anymore. (This is all true, but mostly because of one of the cleanses that they suggested)

https://theorganicgrocer.ca/testimonials/wonderful-store/

Marcus C. Surrey, BC

I love this store. Great service, expert staff, they have everything you could imagine and the stuff they don't carry is because they don't carry garbage like the box stores.

2014-07-11T17:19:07+00:00

I love this store. Great service, expert staff, they have everything you could imagine and the stuff they don't carry is because they don't carry garbage like the box stores.

https://theorganicgrocer.ca/testimonials/great-service/

Rick Fijal

They have a tremendous assortment of organic, healthy foods that are competively priced. In addition, they stock a complete line of supplements, that are also organic. I highly recommend this store to anyone who is interested in living heathy & living longer.

2014-07-17T18:27:26+00:00

They have a tremendous assortment of organic, healthy foods that are competively priced. In addition, they stock a complete line of supplements, that are also organic. I highly recommend this store to anyone who is interested in living heathy & living longer.

https://theorganicgrocer.ca/testimonials/rick-fijal/

Michelle G

I have been a customer at the Organic Grocer for over 10 years now. I used to live in Surrey, and worked in the same business complex, so it wasn't a big deal to pop in for my supplements. Within the last year I have moved to Abbotsford and also started Maternity leave, so needless to say its no longer convenient for me to just pop in! But the staff at this store are all so knowledgeable and helpful, and have gone above and beyond to special order certain products for me, that I cannot shop anywhere else for my supplements and natural products. The organic grocer has the best selection for just about anything natural I go looking for, and if they don't carry something I'm looking for then the staff is willing to look into how or where I can get it.
Thanks Organic Grocer for being Awesome!

2015-10-06T03:36:22+00:00

I have been a customer at the Organic Grocer for over 10 years now. I used to live in Surrey, and worked in the same business complex, so it wasn't a big deal to pop in for my supplements. Within the last year I have moved to Abbotsford and also started Maternity leave, so needless to say its no longer convenient for me to just pop in! But the staff at this store are all so knowledgeable and helpful, and have gone above and beyond to special order certain products for me, that I cannot shop anywhere else for my supplements and natural products. The organic grocer has the best selection for just about anything natural I go looking for, and if they don't carry something I'm looking for then the staff is willing to look into how or where I can get it. Thanks Organic Grocer for being Awesome!

https://theorganicgrocer.ca/testimonials/michelle-g/

Sunita R.

Congratulations on 22 great years of service!!!

My family and I love that your establishment is so close to our home. Not only is the location convenient but we are able to find items such as our cherry pills, tea tree oil, fresh produce, even some cosmetics and freshly sprouted beans all from one place!

I'm a cancer survivor and my cancer is at stage four. This means aggressive chemo is a part of my life on a regular basis. With that said, I need items to soothe what ails my tummy, my skin, and morale. There's no better place that meets those needs than the Organic Grocer!

Recently, I was having a better health day and wanted to prepare a mixed bean sprout soup for my family and wasn't having any luck acquiring the bean sprouts. I decided to give your store a call and though you didn't have any on hand, you went above and beyond by special ordering them for me. I was absolutely touched! Not only did you order them but you had them in shop the next day. That is exceptional customer service.

Also, when I'm in the store my self, the staff are extremely knowledgeable and I walk away a bit smarter for the newly obtained information I leave with.

Thank you for that extra care you provide to your customers that have us coming back for more!

Congratulations once again on your anniversary and here is to hoping you have many, many more great years!

With thanks and best wishes,

Sunita R.

(your customer for life!)

2015-10-06T03:43:11+00:00

Congratulations on 22 great years of service!!! My family and I love that your establishment is so close to our home. Not only is the location convenient but we are able to find items such as our cherry pills, tea tree oil, fresh produce, even some cosmetics and freshly sprouted beans all from one place! I'm a cancer survivor and my cancer is at stage four. This means aggressive chemo is a part of my life on a regular basis. With that said, I need items to soothe what ails my tummy, my skin, and morale. There's no better place that meets those needs than the Organic Grocer! Recently, I was having a better health day and wanted to prepare a mixed bean sprout soup for my family and wasn't having any luck acquiring the bean sprouts. I decided to give your store a call and though you didn't have any on hand, you went above and beyond by special ordering them for me. I was absolutely touched! Not only did you order them but you had them in shop the next day. That is exceptional customer service. Also, when I'm in the store my self, the staff are extremely knowledgeable and I walk away a bit smarter for the newly obtained information I leave with. Thank you for that extra care you provide to your customers that have us coming back for more! Congratulations once again on your anniversary and here is to hoping you have many, many more great years! With thanks and best wishes, Sunita R. (your customer for life!)